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Mahi Mahi
Latin name: Coryphaena hippurus
Common name: Dolphinfish
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Wild Caught
Region:
Commonwealth waters
- Mahi mahi is a fast growing species that is resilient to overfishing. The species is caught in an Australian fishery that primarily targets tuna on the east coast.
- Mahi mahi are caught on longlines. Sharks and turtles are accidentally caught in the fishery, although the available research indicates the catch is not resulting in population declines.
- Management actions to reduce the impact of fishing on vulnerable marine wildlife include limits to the amount of sharks that can be kept for sale.
- Commonwealth Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery (66t 2012)
Mahi mahi is a fast-growing species that is resilient to overfishing; although there are no formal stock assessments for the species, low catches and a fast growth rate means stocks are likely healthy. Mahi mahi is not specifically targeted by fishers, but is taken as a secondary species in a tuna longline fishery that operates off the eastern Australian coast.
Mahi mahi are caught using longlines in Australian waters. Threatened species caught on the longlines include shortfin mako sharks and green turtles. The available research indicates that the bycatch of sharks is not likely to be resulting in declines to the populations of these species based on recent catch records from the fishery (this measure is commonly used by fisheries scientists as a n indicator as to whether the abundance of a species is declining). However, there is a need for better understanding of many shark species populations.
Management actions to reduce the impact of fishing on vulnerable marine wildlife include limits on the amount of sharks that can be kept for sale and modifications to fishing gear to allow larger sharks to break free. Turtles are often released alive.